Return to the Secret World
by SparklingGem
Summary: Arrietty's life has been uneventful since the move, but when news of unrest in the borrower community arises she faces a new adventure. Sho in later chapters
1. New Life

Chapter One: New Life

Arrietty was lying on her back staring at the sky. It was the only time of year the sky could be this clear and blue. Summer. The air was warm and light gusts of wind rustled through the tall blades of grass. She could smell the soil, and the clean scent of the earth. Arrietty loved being outside. The way the wind felt on her skin, the mixed scent of flowers, dirt, and the air. Nothing made her feel so _free_.

Sitting up, Arrietty pushed her back against a rock. Closing her eyes, the small borrower tried to concentrate on the voices of the old ladies. The ladies who owned the house were in their 70s or 80s, and based on the conversations Arrietty had overheard the women's name's were Meredith and Gertrude, they two had been best friends since they met and had been living together ever since Meredith's husband, Jack, had passed away. This was often how Arrietty spent her mornings, listening to the old women tell each other stories of their past while tending to the garden. When Meredith and Gertrude finally began to pack up their spades and rakes Arrietty knew it was time to head back home.

Turning back Arrietty dashed toward the grate, which allowed her easy access to her family's underground home. This cottage was different from Shawn's home. This one was much smaller and in a way cozier, but no garden could compare to the one at Shawn's house. Literally shaking the thought from her mind, Arrietty climbed through the grate in the side of the house and continued running toward her home. Sliding the brick that served as the door aside she slid into the entryway. Pushing the brick back into place Arrietty walked toward the kitchen. Arrietty's mother was at the stove making soup. "Mother? Is there anything you want me to do?" Homily looked up at her daughter, her dark hair tied back from her face in a ponytail; giving Arrietty a tired smile she shook her head no. Despite her request Arrietty grabbed the blanket her mother had been mending. Using the last of the thread since their last borrowing Arrietty managed to patch up one square of cloth.

"Arrietty, your sewing's really improved, remember when the stitches were always too big?" Homily asked sitting in the chair across form her.

"How could I forget?" Arrietty replied as she began folding the blanket, "I always had to start over, I'm still not very good at it." Arrietty set the blanket on the table. "Where's Papa?"

"He's in his study fixing the grappling hooks." Homily replied as she got up and began to stir the soup again. _That's right I broke my grappling hook when I tried climbing the curtain. _Arrietty had been trying to get an old pocket watch inside Gertrude's dresser drawer, the poor woman had believed she'd lost it, but it had just been shoved to the back of the drawer. Homily had always wanted a pocket watch for the house, but they were rare now and hard to borrow without a human noticing. Luckily Gertrude had one, and in her old age she'd forgotten she even owned it. Arrietty had thought it would make a wonderful present for her mother. Despite her father's warnings Arrietty had used her grappling hook to try and climb up the curtain. The metal hooks weren't strong enough to get a good grip on the thick velvet curtains. About halfway up the hook had snapped in half, Arrietty had fallen a few feet, luckily she hadn't been hurt, Gertrude's room was carpeted.

"I'll go see if I can help him." Arrietty said getting up, she made her way down the hall. Arrietty peaked into the doorway. Her Father had gone so far as to try and completely re-weld the tool, unfortunately the hook was beyond repair. "Hey Papa," Arrietty smiled pulling up a stool, "How's the welding going?" Her father sighed and set down his tools. Rubbing the back of his neck he said,

"I think it's time to go borrowing."

Clapping her hands together Arrietty stood up excitedly "Oh that's wonderful, I heard the ladies talking about how they had an old fishing kit in a _garage_. " Arrietty struggled on pronouncing the last word but she continued talking. "The fishing hooks would make a great grappling hook for us." She finished.

Her father sat silently for a moment as he put his equipment away. Then after a pregnant silence he said, "we'll go after dinner".

Arrietty bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly and clapped her hands together.

"Arrietty, will you do me a favor?" Pod asked smiling at his daughter.

"Of course father, what do you need?" Arrietty replied suddenly becoming serious.

"I'd like you to go to Maltessa and Rupard's house and invite their family to dinner, their son Ryus can come borrowing with us. Arrietty's heart quickly filled with dread, she hated Ryus, he was arrogant and acted like he was such a cool guy, plus he told Arrietty she shouldn't go borrowing because she was a girl. Sure he could be nice sometimes, in fact, he'd borrowed some ribbon for Arrietty (of course she'd promptly refused it), Besides, she liked Spiller's gifts better.

_I wonder where Spiller is? It's been four days… _

Arrietty had begun walking up to the living room. Ryus's family lived behind a painting of the ocean. Using the secret passages she found herself at their front door. Sighing she knocked. Of course who should open the door?

"Why hello there little lamb, have you lost your way?" Ryus's thick black hair fell to his eyebrows. He was wearing a leather jacket and an obnoxious pair of 'army boots' he'd borrowed from a doll. Around his neck dangled a key chain with the letter 'M' on a little golden orb, which was attached to the chain.

"Hello Ryus" replied Arrietty deadpanned, "I just came to tell you that your family is invited over for dinner and my father said you could come borrowing with us."

"So you have finally decided that you do indeed wish to date me, well I am honored to-" Ryus was cut off by Arrietty.

"Who said I wanted to date you? I just came because my parents asked me to." Meanwhile Ryus smirked and leaned forward towards Arrietty. "What are you doing?" Arrietty asked, panicking.

"What all couples do, kissing" he replied closing his eyes. Arrietty leaped back and pushed him away.

"We aren't a couple!" Arrietty shouted, she then turned and ran back towards the house, ignoring Ryus's cries to come back.

Practically smashing through the door Arrietty went straight to the kitchen.

"Mother!" Arrietty shrieked.

"What? What's happened? The ladies didn't buy a cat did they?" Homily cried worriedly. By now Pod had rushed into the kitchen along with Spiller who'd apparently come when Arrietty was out.

"No, it's much worse!" replied Arrietty stomping around the kitchen. Homily sank into a chair. "That jerk! That- that… Oaf!" Arrietty continued,"Trying to kiss me like that!"

Spiller gave her a funny look and set his bow down. Homily stood up suddenly smiling.

"Who tried to kiss you?" she asked.

"Ryus" Arrietty spat. Spiller continued to look confused as he looked from Arrietty to Homily.

"Oh how wonderful!" Homily gushed. "I knew he'd be the perfect match!"

"Match? What match?" Arrietty asked. Spiller was now concerned, he wasn't really sure what was going on and was rather irritated that someone was trying to match with Arrietty. Whatever that meant.

"You see, your father and I talked to Maltessa and Rupard the other day about you and Ryus possibly getting… well… getting married." Homily explained excitedly.

Arrietty paused. _Wait married… as in married, married?_

Arrietty suddenly looked at Spiller then Pod then Homily, her mouth forming an 'O'.

Spiller was frowning, he vaguely understood what kissing was, but he knew the meaning behind it, and he definitely knew what marriage was and why people did it. Suddenly he was very angry, he gripped his bow tightly.

"Why didn't you talk to me about it?" Arrietty asked frowning.

"We wanted to surprise you at dinner tonight. It's traditional for both families to dine together before the engagement" Homily smiled. Arrietty suddenly felt faint. _What about Shawn? And Spiller?_ Arrietty wondered. Arrietty backed away slowly, her heart was pounding, and it was all so sudden. She looked at her parents. Then she did something that surprised everyone. She bolted for her room. She heard steps thundering after her but she quickly shoved the pincushion she used as a chair in front of her door and flopped on her bed.

"Arrietty, dear, please open the door" her mother called, "Just give Ryus a chance, I'm sure he'll make you very happy"

Arrietty pulled a pillow over her ears to block out her mother's voice. How could she marry Ryus? She didn't even like him! The thought of having to wake up every morning and see his face next to hers made Arrietty feel queasy.

Tears began to form behind her closed eyelids. Arrietty quickly covered her eyes with her hands. There was a quiet knock at the door. Arrietty sighed. "Mother?" she called softly.

"No, is Spiller." Was the gruff reply.

Arrietty rolled off her bed and opened the door a crack. She saw Spiller in his usual attire, with his bow in hand.

"Hi," Arrietty muttered softly, she was embarrassed that he'd seen her 'tantrum'.

"We talk outside, no Pod or Homily" Spiller said leading Arrietty out the back 'door'.

The pair made their way up to the grate. Spiller leaned against the cement wall; his long, unruly, black hair fell in his face. It reminded Arrietty of the first time she'd met Spiller, she'd told him 'goodbye' at the grate at Shawn's house.

"Who Ryus?" Asked Spiller, his usually joyful face darkened.

Arrietty sighed. "He's just this other borrower in the house, but he's really annoying and acts like he's the coolest guy ever, he acts like he owns me, you know? "

The corners of Spiller's mouth pulled into a frown, but he kept silent.

"And my parents didn't even ask me if I wanted to marry him, they just decided it, I don't even know if I want to get married yet! And Ryus tried to kiss me even though he knew I didn't want to."

Spiller turned away.

"And sometimes I wonder if I could just run away," Arrietty looked at the moon, for a moment she wondered if Shawn was looking at the same moon now, she wondered if he was even alive. Arrietty sighed and sat on the ground, resting her chin on her knees.

"Arrietty sad?" Spiller asked kneeling beside her.

"Sad? No, its just there's someone I left behind at the old house and I'm just not sure if he's ok…" Arrietty looked at the sky again.

Spiller remembered seeing Arrietty with a human 'bean' on the night her family left to meet him. He'd almost shot the 'bean' with an arrow until he realized he wasn't a danger to Arrietty's life.

Spiller, unsure of what to say put a reassuring hand on Arrietty's shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled softly. Spiller gave Arrietty his usual wide grin.

Arrietty giggled but was interrupted by her mother's voice,

"Arrietty, Spiller? It's time for dinner!" called Homily. Arrietty sighed.

"Well, are you ready to meet my worst nightmare?"

Spiller grunted and followed Arrietty to the house.

Arrietty was sitting in between her father and Spiller; Homily was in the Kitchen with Maltessa cleaning up after an extremely awkward dinner, meanwhile, Rupard and Ryus sat across from the trio.

It was mostly Ryus and Rupard doing the talking, Arrietty's father usually nodded or grunted. Spiller stayed absolutely silent with his hand resting on his bow.

Amidst the after dinner talk, Arrietty caught and interesting piece of information.

"What do you mean there's riots in the underground cities?" Arrietty exclaimed. She'd heard of the cities, they were located under ground in towns of the 'beans' where borrowings were plentiful. Many borrowers live there but it was still common to find a few families of borrowers in houses in the countryside.

"We saw it in our last visit there." Replied Rupard.

"A big mass of borrowers who were tired of living under human 'beans', they even planned to attack a country house not far from here." Ryus added on.

"But borrowers wouldn't make that big of an impact would they? I mean we're just so small compared to 'beans'." Replied Arrietty.

"That's true, but a mass against one house with only two 'beans' inside? It's true they won't make it far after that, but it will be enough to expose the Borrower community, we'd never be safe again." Said Maltessa who'd joined the table.

Suddenly Arrietty became panicked, _what if Shawn's house is the one they're talking about?_ "About the 'beans' in the house, what do they look like?"

Rupard looked confused for a minute then he replied "there's an old woman with white hair, and a boy about your age with dark hair-" Arrietty turned on her father.

"We have to warn them!" Arrietty exclaimed jumping up. Spiller jumped up too, drawing his bow, he'd nearly nodded off, it was already late.

Homily strolled in carrying a tray with tea "Spiller! Put that away before you shoot someone's eye out!" the woman shrieked dropping the tray. Spiller jumped in surprise and immediately put his bow on the table.

He had no idea why Homily thought he'd shoot someone's eye out; he was very skilled with the bow.

"Father! We have to go, we have to warn them!", Arrietty was frantic now, Shawn was alive!

"Arrietty, that's enough." He father said sternly.

"But father, he's alive, I have to go see him!" Arrietty started to push in her chair.

"Arrietty, I said that's enough!" Her father shouted, and Arrietty literally cowered in fear. The girl looked at her father, mouth agape and turned on her heals, running a fast as she could to her room. This time it wasn't out of sadness, or frustration, but anger. Arrietty slammed her bedroom door and once again pushed the pincushion in front of it.

Arrietty, for the second time that night, flopped on her bed. The little borrower wondered about Shawn, how much had he changed? Did he still believe in her? Was his operation a success? Is his heart healed? Arrietty turned over and smiled at the thought of what Shawn had said before she left,

"My heart's stronger now, because you're in it." She tried to hide her blush as she tucked her chin down.

A new voice came from the other side of the door. It was Spiller.

"Arrietty, Spiller go now, come back in morning."

As much as Arrietty wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye. She knew what she had to do; she needed to warn Shawn before his house was destroyed and the borrower race exposed.

As much as Arrietty wanted to, she couldn't ask Spiller to take her back to the house, it wasn't fair to him; she couldn't put his life at risk like that. Arrietty grabbed the white bag she'd used for her first borrowing and began filling it with various items she might need.

Arrietty slipped on her red borrowing dress, the familiar fabric brushed against her skin creating an almost nostalgic feeling. Arrietty pulled the bag over her head and then slipped her feet into her homemade brown boots. Now all Arrietty could do was wait until her parents were asleep, then she would sneak out of the house and follow the river they'd sailed down in Spiller's teapot. After that, all she'd have to do is follow the path her father had taken that led to the house.

Arrietty pressed her ear to the door; she could hear her parents talking in their room.

"I just don't understand why Arrietty isn't excited about marrying Ryus" Homily said as she paced around the room. "Ryus is wealthy, a great borrower, and she'd be able to stay close to us, and we wouldn't have to worry about her at all, because she'd be right here." Arrietty could hear her parents getting into bed. There was a pause in the conversation.

"That's true." Pod replied gruffly. There was a pause. "What about Spiller?" Arrietty held her breath.

"Spiller?" Homily asked, confused.

"Yes, they seem to be very good friends, maybe even best friends." Pod went on. Arrietty tried to hide a smile.

"Not only that but Spiller saved my life." Pod continued.

"He saved all of our lives," Homily added, "and found us a new home."

"Spiller's a good borrower, and an exceptional hunter."

"Exceptional? His hunting skills are _amazing _Pod, remember when he brought that horned beetle here? I think we still have one of the horns… It must have been a real challenge to kill."

"He would be able to protect Arrietty, Spiller would do anything for her." Pod said. Arrietty felt her cheeks flare up. _No, Spiller doesn't think of me that way, I- we- we've never been like that. _Arrietty thought.

"Besides, Arrietty's always loved the outdoors, adventure is something she wants in life, and Arrietty and Spiller have that in common."

"Yes, but a common _hobby _doesn't mean that they'd get married, I mean Spiller would have to want to marry Arrietty." Homily countered. For some reason Arrietty felt her heart pang.

"I believe Spiller's feelings are deeper than friendship." Pod replied. Arrietty had a sharp intake in breath.

"That's true," Homily sighed. "But do you think Spiller could create a steady home for a family? He's still very much a child."

Pod grunted and said "We can talk about it later"

Then there was silence.

When Arrietty was sure that her parents were asleep she slipped out of the house. It was the dead of night. Arrietty slipped out through the grate, and made her way across the yard. She climbed over several rocks and walked for what seemed like days. Just as the sun started coming up over the trees Arrietty reached the stream. Sighing she tried to estimate how long till she got to Shawn's house. It would be about two or three days, two or three days till she saw Shawn again.

Arrietty stood back up and kept walking, _Just a few more days._ Arrietty thought.


	2. Walking and Riots

**Just so you know, I'll be calling Shawn, Sho from now on :)**

Chapter Two: Walking and Riots

Arrietty trudged through the dirt, kicking up small could of dust as she walked, and her throat felt dry and scratchy. The sun was resting lazily in the middle of the sky so it was about noon. Arrietty decided it would be all right if she stopped for a moment to get some water. But just for a moment she still needed to get to Sho in time, she had to warn him.

Arrietty stumbled towards the stream and fell to her knees at the river's edge. She leaned forward and cupped a droplet of water in her hand then drank it down quickly. The water was refreshing and cool despite the hot sun.

Arrietty dipped her hands into the water again and dumped some of the water on her head, sighing with relief as the cool liquid rushed across her skin.

Despite her protesting legs Arrietty stood up and continued walking, if she continued at this rate she could make it to Sho's by afternoon tomorrow. _Sho._ Arrietty inwardly sighed.

_Snap_

Arrietty stopped and whirled around reaching for her pin, her hand grasped nothing, only air. _No! I couldn't have forgotten my pin at a moment like this! _Looking up in fear Arrietty saw a field mouse.

Field mice may be harmless to 'beans' but they are deadly to borrowers. Arrietty tried to step back slowly but this only agitated the beast further. The brown mouse let out a blood-curdling squeal before it leaped at Arrietty. The small borrower stumbled backwards and fell on her back. She quickly fumbled around with her surroundings; wrapping her hand around clump of dust, she flung it into the creature's eyes before it could pounce on her.

Squealing in pain the mouse stumbled to the side, trying to wipe his eyes with the back of his paw.

Arrietty jumped up and scrambled away as quickly as she could. Her heart pounding she sprinted long after she knew the mouse was far behind. Panting, Arrietty slowed to a stop. Gasping for air, Arrietty slumped against a rock near the stream's edge. Arrietty now knew she was vulnerable and her best defense would be to run and hide. Pulling her hair in frustration Arrietty thought of Sho. _Oh I hope I get there in time. _Arrietty turned her gaze to the stream that was flowing past her.

"Right now, all I can do is follow the river" Arrietty sighed before she continued walking.

~:~:~:~

Spiller made his way through the grass up towards the grate. He had a raspberry in his hand, they were Arrietty's favorite and he figured it would make her feel a little better.

Spiller climbed up the vines leading to the grate and sung off onto the cement floor. He slid through the bars only to bump into a strange figure.

"Oh hey there Slicker, going to visit Arrietty?" Ryus said, his dark hair falling in his face, he had a traveling bag and a scissor strapped to his back. Spiller grunted and nodded.

"Name Spiller" Spiller replied gruffly.

"Right, right, Sticker. Well I've got places to go, people to see. I'd like to leave you with one thought, but I don't think you'd know where to put it" Ryus snickered as her jumped down from the grate. Spiller resisted the urge impale the borrower with an arrow.

Spiller jumped down from the grate and made his way toward the house. He slid open the brick and made his way into the kitchen. He heard the muffled sounds of a woman sobbing. Spiller rushed into the kitchen, his bow in hand, and saw Homily sitting in a chair holding Arrietty's pin. The poor woman was rocking back and fourth saying the same thing over and over again.

"Gone… Gone…" Homily wailed clutching the pin tightly. Spiller knelt down next to Homily dropping his bow and the raspberry.

"Who gone?" Spiller asked, but this only brought on more tears from Homily. Spiller's heart clenched and he began to panic, grabbing his bow Spiller crashed down the hall to Arrietty's room. He saw the door was open he looked inside and saw Pod standing in the middle of the room.

"Where Arrietty?" Spiller asked. Pod's face remained blank. Spiller roughly turned Pod around to face him and asked again "Where Arrietty?"

Pod looked at Spiller. "I think she went to warn Sho." He replied.

There was a pause Spiller was about to turn around, he had to find Arrietty, and he needed to make sure she was safe.

"Wait." Pod said. Spiller stopped and looked at the man. "I need you to find Arrietty, I can't go, and Homily needs me." Pod looked at Spiller with a pleading face. "Please?" he asked. Spiller clamped Pod's shoulder with his hand.

"Spiller would find Arrietty even if Pod told him to stay."

Pod smiled weakly then returned to the kitchen and helped his wife into her bed. Spiller didn't wait to say goodbye. In a flash he was back outside looking for Arrietty's tracks.

He found the familiar mark of Arrietty's shoe and determined which direction she'd headed. The tracks said she'd left late last night, maybe even early in the morning. If her tracks continued they reach the river. From there Spiller could easily catch up to Arrietty, because of his knowledge of the land and superior stamina. Spiller, with his bow at the ready darted off, following Arrietty's tracks.

~:~:~:~

Ryus walked calmly through the crowded streets of the underground city. He'd used his grappling hook to climb into the back of a truck and rode to the nearest town, only a 15-minute drive by car.

Ryus pushed his way through the throngs of people, a cacophony of sounds slammed against his ears.

"Buy your grapes here, freshest of the bunch for a bargain!"

"Genuine silk thread! Best around!"

"Teacup from a doll's house made of real china!"

Ryus ignored the salespeople's attempts to mooch him out of his borrowings. Unlike the 'beans', borrowers didn't have a currency, they traded their borrowings for other things they needed. Besides, trade wasn't the reason why he was here.

Pushing through the crowd he made his way to the town square. Ryus saw a man, about his Father's age, standing on a podium made of matchboxes. He was clearly rallying the crowd.

"It's time for us to revolt against our oppressors! This world belongs to us! Why should we watch as they force us out of our homes? They set their animals on us! And smoke us out with poisonous gas! They even destroy our families!" The man cried. His voice was clear and strong, his clean-cut suit was made of borrowed cloth and his hair was neatly combed.

"With their rat traps they kill our friends, our families! It's time we asked ourselves, will I be next?" The man's voice grew softer but lost none of its determination. Ryus felt a pang in his heart.

"Maybe it will be your child, your mother, your wife, your sisters and brothers. Ryus's heart dropped. _Cal._ He thought, clenching his fist tightly. "And what about you, young man?" the speaker said reaching down towards Ryus. "Have you lost a loved one to the 'beans'?"

Ryus took a deep breath. "Yes." He said softly.

"I'm sorry young man, I'm afraid they can't hear you."

"I said yes!" Ryuss replied, stronger this time.

"You see? This is the world the 'beans' make for us! One of sadness and loss, and if we continue like this, our children will be the last of our kind!"

The crowd gasped, and a few children were crying. "But fear not," The speaker said gently. "I have a plan, we will revolt against the 'beans', and regain our freedom! We will start at a house not far from here where many borrower families have been forced to leave their homes, and we will strike! We will go from house to house freeing our people. Join me in saving our kind!" The crowd erupted with cheers. Ryus felt himself clapping, he met eyes with the speaker, and they were a sharp silver color, like a blade.

After the speaker had organized a meeting for the revolutionists that night he approached Ryus.

"I understand you've lost a loved on to the 'beans'." The man said resting a hand on Ryus 's shoulder. Ryus nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, who did you lose?" Asked the speaker.

Ryus sighed sadly, "His name was Cal, and he was my brother."

"My name is Einar, and I have also lost my family to the 'beans'." Ryus looked up at Einar. "I know it seems hopeless now, but we will punish those who took your brother away from you." Einar finished.

"What about you?" Ryus asked hesitantly before Einar turned away, "who did you lose?"

Einar's back stiffened and his steely eyes appeared misty for a moment. "My wife and daughters. They were killed by bug spray."

Ryus stood there for a moment then walked towards Einar and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "I will join you, and we will make those who we've lost proud." Einar smiled and nodded before climbing back onto the matchboxes and continuing his speech. Ryus continued to watch and something stirred in his chest.

"_I wish it was you."_ Ryus shook his head and pushed the memory out of his mind. Clenching his fist tightly he whispered "I will make you proud."

~:~:~:~

Arrietty continued her ascent up the hill. She'd been walking up this hill for at least an hour and a half and it didn't help that it was dark out, so she could barely see. "Oof!" Arrietty grunted as she tripped over yet another rock. Sighing exasperatedly she pushed herself back on her feet, wincing as she walked. _I probably have blisters._ She thought. She walked for about 10 more minutes before deciding it would be best to rest as soon as she reached the top of the hill. Squinting as she tried to make out the objects in front of her Arrietty slowly made her way to the top of the hill.

At the top of the hill was a small clearing surrounded by trees. Arrietty made out the fence where she'd said goodbye to Sho. She'd walk through the woods the next morning, that journey would take about a day. Arrietty found a good rock to rest her back against.

The sounds of crickets filled the air as Arrietty slid to the ground. The small borrower pulled some food out of her bag and nibbled on it. Hopefully Sho would give her some food when she saw him. _If I see him_… _ No! Don't think like that! You will see him again. _Arrietty shivered as the wind blew through the grass. Since it was summer Arrietty hadn't packed for the cold, but it turned out summer nights could be just as chilly as those in the autumn. Suddenly a screeching sound split the air. Arrietty immediately jumped up and started running for cover.

_A screech owl! _Arrietty panicked as she sprinted away from the sound of flapping wings. Arrietty looked around quickly, she couldn't see any form of cover. She could feel the wind from the wings against the air. _It's right behind me! _Arrietty heard the owl cry out again, but this time out of pain.

Arrietty felt a sudden force tackle her to the ground. With a yelp of shock Arrietty and what ever had knocked her over tumbled into a hole at the base of a tree. She could hear the owl chasing them. Using its beak the owl snapped at them trying to make the hole in the ground bigger. Arrietty stumbled back in fear. She could make out a figure, _It's Spiller!_ Arrietty thought. The strong borrower drew his bow as he expertly dodged the bird's claws and sharp beak. Spiller took aim and released the arrow. It whistled through the air before finding its mark, the creature's eye.

With a howl of pain the owl retreated and took off into the night. There was silence for a moment, and then Spiller knelt down next to Arrietty, looking deep into her eyes.

**There's Chapter two! I hope you liked it :) **

**Fluffy's Lady: Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate it :) as you can see I put it to good use. I appreciate you taking your time to review my story, it means a lot to me.**

**Darkness Shade: Thank you for the kind review, I'm glad you like my story so far, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well :)**

**Thank you all for reading, and please review it means a lot to me, :D**


	3. Alone Together

**Here's chapter three, I loved writing this chapter, and I hope you love reading it! **

Chapter Three: Alone Together

"Spiller I-" Arrietty tried, but she didn't get to finish her sentence. Spiller had wrapped his arms around her and pulled Arrietty into a tight hug.

"Arrietty hurt?" Spiller asked gruffly pulling away from the embrace as he looked at Arrietty and checked for any wounds.

"No I'm fine, just a little startled." Replied Arrietty pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Spiller sighed in relief then looked back at Arrietty.

"What Arrietty thinking?" Spiller asked gently looking into Arrietty's eyes.

Arrietty hesitated. Spiller wouldn't understand why Arrietty left without telling him. _He probably thought I was being foolish. _Arrietty thought as she pulled her knees to her chest. Arrietty looked back up at Spiller.

"I was worried about Sho… And I knew I had to help him, he was my first friend and…" Arrietty paused, "I've been very confused about my feelings for Sho ever since we left, and I knew I just had to see him."

Spiller gave Arrietty a stern look.

"Yes, I know I should have told Mama and Papa, but they wouldn't have let me go if I'd said anything." Spiller's frown deepened. Arrietty blushed. "I would have told you…" Arrietty said as she played with the frayed end of her dress.

Spiller looked away, Arrietty immediately felt ashamed. She'd hurt him when she hadn't told him her plan. _He was probably worried about me._ Arrietty placed a hand on Spiller's shoulder, the dark haired boy looked up.

"Look Spiller, I've come this far, I can't just turn back I've got to go and-"

"Un-uh" Spiller grunted abruptly. Arrietty stopped and looked at Spiller in shock. _Un-uh as in, no, un-uh? _Arrietty's mouth formed an 'O'. Spiller had never said "no" to her before, but then again Arrietty had never asked him to let her do anything this dangerous before. Arrietty grew frustrated.

"What do you mean?" Arrietty said looking at Spiller intently.

"Too dangerous, Arrietty could get hurt." Spiller looked at Arrietty with his dark concerned eyes.

Arrietty paused; Spiller was only worried about her! Arrietty felt her cheeks heat up. _But I can't just let Sho be in danger! I have to try to help!_ Arrietty turned back towards Spiller, _I'm sorry._ Arrietty thought.

"You can't stop me! I don't care what you say, I will help Sho, he saved my family, and he's my best friend! I owe him that much! I care about him!" Arrietty shouted, the girl immediately wished she could take back her words.

Spiller recoiled for a moment as several emotions flashed across his face. Hurt, frustration, jealousy. The young warrior turned away from Arrietty, the pain evident on his face.

Arrietty felt a pang in her heart. She reached out to him, but he looked away. Arrietty's hand fell softly to her side.

Spiller lay down on his back and looked at Arrietty. "Spiller take Arrietty home in morning." The young man then turned away pulling his fur pelt over his body.

Arrietty's eyes burned, she tried to say something but couldn't find the words, and so she turned on her side and lay down back to back with Spiller.

The night was cold. The wind found its way into the burrow and sent chills down Arrietty's spine. Before Arrietty could stop herself she started shivering, the girl pulled her legs close to her body in order to get warmer, but to no avail.

Arrietty heard rustling next to her, then she was enveloped in warmth. Her shivering stopped. Arrietty rolled over and looked at Spiller. He wasn't wearing his fur pelt and was curled in a ball shivering slightly.

Arrietty sat up and looked down, Spiller had given her his pelt so she could stay warm. Arrietty felt herself smile; she then scooted towards Spiller and covered them both with the pelt.

Spiller turned towards her, his eyes were closed and his long black hair was falling in his face.

Arrietty lay down next to him and tentatively snuggled into his chest. Spiller wrapped his arms around her; it felt natural, like to pieces of a puzzle coming together.

Closing her eyes Arrietty realized _this is how a husband and wife should sleep… _The small borrower simply smiled and drifted to sleep.

~:~:~:~

Sho looked out the window in his bedroom. This was the room where he first saw Arrietty. He smiled fondly at the memory of the girl in the red dress. Sho then got up from his chair and walked out of the room, he made his way down the stairs and walked out into the garden. The familiar scent of flowers wafted into his nose as he made his way to the grassy field where he'd sit and read.

Sho was spending the whole summer at the old house, but when the fall came along he'd have to return to school. After his successful heart surgery he'd been allowed to go to school, Sho had met many friends and several girls seemed attracted to his quiet personality, but no one could replace Arrietty.

Sho felt an empty feeling fill his chest. He pulled Arrietty's pin out of his pocket as he lay on the grass. The plastic felt familiar in his hand, he brought it with him everywhere, it was a constant reminder that strength doesn't come from size, it comes from the heart.

When Sho's mother had told him he'd be staying at the old house for the summer he'd been excited, he'd hoped he'd see Arrietty again even though he knew it was impossible, and even if he had seen her it would only mean Arrietty and her family would have to leave their new home. Yes, it was best if she just forgot about him.

Besides, with Haru as their housekeeper still, it wouldn't be safe for Arrietty's family. Unfortunately for Sho, Haru was harboring a huge grudge against him, but that was to be expected he supposed. On the bright side, Haru was away for the week taking care of her sick sister. That meant Sho had the house all to himself. Well, _almost_. Sadako would come check in with him once a day to make sure he was all right.

Sho enjoyed the quiet life at the house, but at times he felt lonely and being in the old house only reminded him of Arrietty. Sho looked at the red pin and sighed. _If only… Just one last time…_ _I could see her…_

~:~:~:~

Ryus sat across from Einar in the small pub. He'd spent his time in the city discussing what they would do about the 'beans'. Strangely, the more Ryus listened to Einar's theories the more they made sense. What made the 'beans' superior? Why should they decide the borrower race's fate? It just didn't make sense and it wasn't fair.

"So Ryus, you said you lost your brother Cal, could you tell me what happened?" Einar asked gently.

Ryus looked away. The pub's orange lighting made the air seem thick and made him feel clausterphobic. The young borrower played with his glass before beginning the story.

"My older brother and I were inseparable. He taught me everything there was to know about borrowing, and I idolized him. My mother and father loved him as well, he was everything a borrower should be, kind, strong, brave, and modest. My father was so proud of him; I was a speck by comparison. One day my father took us borrowing, Cal and I wandered off, and we found a mousetrap. We didn't think much of it at the time so we messed around and we tried to jump over the trap and grab the cheese without getting snapped by the metal bar. I'd jumped over it and _almost _got the cheese. Cal tried to get me to leave but I egged him on and called him a coward… I forced him into jumping over that trap. Right before his feet left the ground he tripped. The next thing I knew he was laying there. His back was just… _snapped _like a _twig._" Ryus's voice wavered. "My father found us, and he just looked at me. He didn't say a word, and he just carried Cal's body home. My mother wept, she threw herself on the ground and kept screaming my brother's name over and over again. My father didn't speak to me for weeks, but I knew he wished I'd been the one to die, not my brother. Not Cal. But I'm going to set things right, I'll make my father proud, and Arrietty too."

"Who's this, Arrietty?" Einar asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"She's my fiancée," replied Ryus. "But she doesn't seem thrilled to be marrying me, and I don't know why, I mean come on, look at me." Ryus winked at his reflection in the window.

"You know what Ryus, I bet your fiancée will be head over heels in love with you when she learns you helped free her people." Einar said giving Ryus a reassuring smile. Ryus nodded and the night dragged on.

~:~:~:~

Arrietty's eyes blinked open, the sunlight filtered through the opening in the earth filling the cave with a warm glow.

Sitting up the borrower pushed her long hair out of her face. She looked around and saw that Spiller was nowhere in sight, but his pet was still on her lap.

"Spiller?" Arrietty called out tentatively. When there was no response Arrietty tried to stand up, but as soon as she put any weight on her feet a sharp pain stabbed her legs. With a cry, Arrietty stumbled to the ground and clutched her stinging feet.

Arrietty heard thumping footsteps coming towards her, she looked up to see Spiller's concerned face, "What wrong?" He asked as he picked Arrietty up bridal style and set her down on his pelt.

Arrietty bit her lip, "my feet," She winced.

Spiller gently lifted Arrietty's left foot into his lap and slid off her shoe. Arrietty gasped in pain and clenched her fists tightly. Looking down Arrietty saw her feet, blistered and raw from walking all the day before. Arrietty's stomach churned when puss dribbled out of a welt on her heel.

"Arrietty, Stay, Spiller make medicine." Spiller touched her head softly before hurrying out of the cave. Arrietty sighed tilting her head back. _I won't be able to walk for at least a day…_ Arrietty thought, _that means even longer till I can warn Sho…_

Spiller reentering the cave interrupted Arrietty's thoughts; he had half of a walnut shell in his hand that was filled with purple goo. Without saying a word he set right to work, covering Arriety's feet with the goop. Spiller's strong hands were gentle as he tentatively touched Arrietty's feet.

"Spiller, please…" Arrietty said softly, looking into the young man's eyes.

"Hm?" Spiller asked as he moved to the next foot.

"Let me go and help Sho." For a moment Spiller looked like he'd interrupt but Arrietty wasn't finished, "Will you do it for me?" Spiller was silent, he was now wrapping Arrietty's feet with leaves, they would have to pass as bandages for now.

"Spiller go with Arrietty."

Arrietty opened her mouth to protest, she didn't want Spiller to get hurt, he was too important to her.

"Either Spiller go too, or Arriettty come home" Spiller said gravely. Arrietty paused and licked her lips.

"Alright" Arrietty agreed. Spiller smiled and finished tending to her feet. Arrietty dipped her hand into the purple goo, smiling mischievously. Arrietty got an idea.

"Spiller," Arrietty called, the warrior looked at her curiously. "Come here," Spiller got on his knees in front of Arrietty. "Come closer," Said Arrietty softly. Spiller blushed and leaned in closer, his eyelids got heavy. "Close your eyes." Arrietty whispered. Spiller gulped and closed his eyes. Arrietty ignored the slight pucker in Spiller's lips. With a giggle Arrietty smeared the purple sludge across Spiller's face.

Spiller's eyes shot open in surprise, Arrietty laughed and Spiller grinned goofily letting out a low chuckle. "I missed your smile," Arrietty grinned tapping a splotch on Spiller's nose.

Spiller's face suddenly became serious. He quickly but gently, grabbed Arrietty's hand. He pulled her hand to his chest and looked into her eyes. For a moment they were both leaning towards each other, then Sho's face flashed across Arrietty's mind and she pulled away from Spiller. The young warrior turned away pretending nothing had happened. Arrietty sighed and turned her head towards the opening that lead to the outside world. _What are we? Spiller and I, every time I feel like I'm close to an answer everything becomes confusing._

The day wore on slowly, Spiller had to leave part of the day in order to hunt and gather, he'd brought back a whole cricket and some berries.

Arrietty had borrowed Spiller's knife and was using it to cut the fruit into smaller pieces, meanwhile, a cricket leg roasted on the fire while Spiller whittled some new arrows out of fallen twigs. The sun had set a warm glow in the cave, Arrietty and Spiller looked up at each other, they both smiled and tried to forget what did, or maybe didn't happen earlier that day.

Arrietty inhaled deeply, it seemed like a comfortable life, in fact, Arrietty liked this life. _I wonder if this is what it would be like to live with Spiller…_ _It's nice…_ Arrietty decided before continuing with her work.

**Fluffy's Lady: lol, Ryus actually didn't know where Arrietty was, he just likes to mess with Spiller because he knows he likes Arrietty lol. I Appreciate you taking the time to review ^_^ I hope you enjoyed this chap. **

**Ok everyone, please review, I love advice also! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**


	4. Confused

Chapter Four: Confused

Arrietty finished cleaning up their campsite and dusted off her red dress. Spiller was packing up all the food he'd caught or gathered during their stay. "Do you think now would be a good time to start walking to Sho's house?" Arrietty asked as she slung her white bag over her shoulder.

Spiller grunted and nodded before tying the bag containing their food to his belt. Arrietty waited patiently at the mouth of their small cave and waited for Spiller. He grabbed his bow and darted to Arrietty's side. The two began walking.

Spiller led Arrietty to a path, which he said would take them to Sho's home. Arrietty had only been following the path with Spiller for about an hour and her feet were starting to ache again. _I guess my feet aren't fully healed. _Arrietty thought. Spiller noticed a decrease in Arrietty's pace and stopped.

"Rest now" he said. Spiller then led Arrietty to a small stream where Arrietty could soak her feet.

Arrietty flopped down and rested her feet in the cool water. "Ahhhhh" she sighed in relief as she tilted her head back. The sunlight filtered through the leaves and the wind tousled her hair lightly. Arrietty smiled and turned to Spiller. He was on his knees at the edge of the bank; he had water from the stream cupped in his hands. His lips to the heal of his hand and tipped it back, letting the water flow into his mouth.

There was the sound of cracking branches. Spiller grabbed his bow with an arrow at the ready. Once the sound was gone for a few moments Spiller relaxed and continued to drink the water. Suddenly Arrietty got an idea. She grinned mischievously… When Spiller wasn't looking, Arrietty grabbed a small rock from the bank and threw it into the bushes. The sound of the rock crashing into the forest sounded exactly like an animal on the prowl.

Spiller jumped up and drew his bow, a serious look on his face. While he was distracted Arrietty jumped up as quickly as she could and flung as much water at Spiller as she could. Spiller jumped at the shock of being hit with a wave of cold water and turned to look Arrietty in shock.

Spiller's long black hair stuck to his face and his water logged fur sagged around his shoulders. Arrietty giggled at Spiller's blank expression, his mouth agape. Then his expression changed. A grin spread across his face and with a whoop he plunged into the water and heaved a wave of water at Arrietty.

Arrietty laughed and returned the favor. The two splashed around knee deep in the water splashing each other with gusto. Arrietty laughed and sat down on the grass trying to catch her breath. Spiller sat next to her grinning goofily. The two sat in silence for a moment until a sudden thought dawned on Arrietty.

"Spiller? What happened to your family?" Spiller's back stiffened and he shrugged.

"Spiller not know." He replied as shook the water out of his hair.

Arrietty knew she was walking in uncharted territory and tried to be gentle with her questions.

"Do you remember them at all?" Spiller paused and replied,

"Spiller's mother. She sang… and said Spiller's name" Arrietty rested her chin on her knees.

"Is that how you know your name is Spiller?" He nodded. "How did you live? In the woods I mean.

"Spiller hunt. Knew how to since very young… Spiller lived in trees." A soft lonely expression crossed his face. "Spiller was lonely. Then met Pod." He smiled. " And Arrietty." Arrietty remembered the first time she met Spiller. He'd been in the rain and was completely soaked. He had a curious air about him, yet everything he did seemed strong. When he had shown Arrietty how to use the bow his strength and power had been made clear. When he smiled he still looked like a child though, and he seemed kind and gentle. Arrietty smiled, she loved everything about him.

"Arrietty," Spiller asked turning towards her. Arrietty looked at him expectantly. "How Arrietty… _feel _about Sho." He asked, a strange expression on his face. Arrietty had never seen it before _it's almost a soft… fear._ She thought.

Arrietty sighed. "Sho was my first friend and one of my best friends too. He means a lot to me."

Spiller paused and looked at his feet. "What Arrietty thsmsprum" he mumbled

"What?" Arrietty asked leaning toward the hunter.

Spiller looked into her eyes with determination. " What Arrietty think Spiller?"

Arrietty's heart clenched with nervousness. "Umm" she started trying to think of a good way to explain her feelings.

"I just don't know how I feel about you right now Spiller… Or Sho for that matter, I'm just confused about how I feel about you, but no matter what you and Sho are both my best friends."

"Spiller know how feels about Arrietty." He replied "Arrietty mean a lot to Spiller." He paused. "More than friend" Spiller clutched Arrietty's hand and placed it above his heart. Arrietty could feel his heart beat quicken. _Are hearts are beating at the same time…_ Arrietty realized. Arrietty looked into Spiller's eyes. They were deep and dark and full of warmth. Spiller's eyes began to close as he leaned towards Arrietty. He heart beat faster and she felt her eyes beginning to close as well. Suddenly she pulled away.

"I'm so sorry Spiller, I'm just… really confused right now, and I can't be more than a friend to you until I've figured out how I feel, but I am so, so sorry." Arrietty felt tears burn in her eyes. Spiller looked at her then dropped her hand and stood up.

"Better keep moving if want to get to Sho's before dark." He said gruffly before walking towards the path. Arrietty stood up and looked at Spiller's back. _I'm so sorry Spiller_ she thought then she followed him.

~:~:~:~

Pod gently shut the door to the bedroom he and Homily shared. She was sound asleep, she'd completely exhausted herself from worrying about Arrietty, and she blamed herself too. Pod knew that Homily always had Arrietty's best interest at heart. Sighing he made his way toward the living room and began the process of melting off the old grappling hook's pointy tip. Once a grappling hook no longer worked, borrowers could smooth out the point and turn it into a coat hanger.

_I wonder how Spiller and Arrietty are doing… _He wondered. _I wonder if he's told her how he feels. _Pod remembered the first time he'd talked to Spiller about his feelings for Arrietty.

It was the winter and the first snow had covered the ground in a white blanket. Homily had invited Spiller to stay with them for the winter. The four had just finished dinner.

"Arrietty, could you please help me with the dishes." Homily had asked.

"Of course." Arrietty replied. "I'll be right back" she said placing a hand on Spiller's shoulder. Spiller's cheeks burned red as Arrietty followed her mother. There was a moment of silence. Spiller stared at Pod with a determined face.

"Spiller, is there something you'd like to talk about?" Pod asked. Spiller nodded. The shook his head, paused, then nodded again.

Pod took a sip of his tea and looked at Spiller expectantly. Spiller took a deep breath.

"What is love?" He asked.

"That depends what kind of love" replied Pod taking another sip of tea.

"Kind that makes Spiller feel…" Spiller paused trying to find the right words. "Off-center… and happy too. Spiller never felt this before." Pod paused before replying.

"Spiller, I believe that you have fallen in love. It's a strong feeling, and it makes us do amazing things for the people that we love." Pod said gruffly. Spiller nodded, he was clearly deep in thought.

Pod took a sip of tea.

"So when will you tell Arrietty how you feel?" Spiller looked up nervously then looked down and shrugged. Pod opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Arrietty coming back into the room.

Arrietty smiled, she was completely oblivious to what Pod and Spiller had just been talking about. The moment Spiller saw Arrietty his face lit up. Arrietty smiled at him and sat down. _It reminds me of how it was with Homily and I when we were young._ Thought Pod smiling at the memory as he continued to smooth the grappling hooks.

_Spiller will take good care of Arrietty_. Pod decided as he set down the grappling hook, now, a coat hanger.

**Whew. Sorry for the late update, and sorry that this chapter is so short, but I've been getting ready for 'end of the year tests' I hate those -_- But any how, thanks for reading! I hope you like this chapter; it was really fun to write! Now time for Review responses!**

**Fluffy's Lady: Thank you ^_^ I worked really hard on that part lol I just love, love triangles, also thank you for being a loyal reviewer! I appreciate it :) **

**yunadance6: Thank you very much, I hope you like this chapter :) **

**Cat-Stat-Ave: Thank you! I LOVE Spiller and Arrietty too. I wish there were more fanfics about them though… Thanks for reading, I hope you liked this chapter. **


	5. So What is Jealousy?

Chapter Five: So What is Jealousy?

~Ryus's POV~

Ryus stared into the small campfire. The orange flames flicked and flared softly in the night. The rebellion had taken refuge in a hollowed out log that was about a about two days journey from the house. Ryus rubbed his hands together in an attempt to generate some more heat. He'd been surprised at how cold the nights could be in the summer, but then again, it was almost fall. The days were becoming slightly colder already. Ryus had hardly ever been outside. He was usually inside the house or in a borrower city trading his borrowings. A small portion of his life had actually been outside. It was Cal who was usually outside.

_Cal._ Ryus winced at the memory of his brother. He'd been thinking about him a lot lately, _Then again… it is around the time when…_ He sighed and flopped on his back. The wooden log was covered in a soft moss, it made for a decent enough bed. It was hard to sleep considering a war was only two days journey away. The rebellion's numbers had gone from 100 to 50 in a matter of days. They had all abandoned the rebellion when the impending battle had drawn near. Unfortunately this didn't surprise Ryus. Most of their original numbers had been average citizens whose fear of the beans was greater than their desire to attempt war. Not that the beans didn't terrify Ryus, but he needed to make it up to his family. It was his fault that Cal had died, and the beans had placed the rat trap, so if he got revenge against the beans then maybe… Maybe they could forgive him.

Ryus thought back to Cal's funeral. It was almost autumn at the time. Orange and gold leaves mixed with some fleeting splotches of green. It was the only time his whole family had been outside. Cal's body had been placed in an old snuffbox that had been borrowed from one of the old ladies. They would bury him with his first borrowing, a thimble that the family had used to carry water. He was wearing his best clothes, a blue cloth shirt with crisp white pants. He remembered looking at his brother for the lat time. His eyes where closed and he looked so peaceful, almost like he was sleeping. He'd furiously rubbed tears from his eyes as he father closed the lid of the snuffbox. Ryus's mother stood next to him clutching her shawl tightly around her shoulders. She had a blank expression on her face as tears slowly fell from her eyes.

His father struggled to gently slide the snuffbox into the hole that he'd dug the day before. Ryus reached down to help. "here father, let me- " he started.

"Get back!" Snapped his father swinging an arm in Ryus's direction. It was a near miss. Ryus retreated and stood next to his mother whose shoulders were shaking.

"Mother," Ryus tried, reaching towards her gently. She shied away from his touch, but she immediately looked ashamed of herself.

"Ryus, I didn't mean to-" She reached out to him tentatively. Ryus backed away from her, shaking his head slowly.

"I'm so sorry." He said softly, "so, so sorry." Before turning on his heal and running to the house.

_I've got to make it right, I've spent my whole life running, and now I need to make a stand. _Thought Ryus as he sat up and looked around, most of the borrowers where asleep now. He stretched his legs and poked the fire with a small stick. He heard the sound of footsteps on wood behind him. He looked up to see a girl he'd never met before. She had a petite frame with thin arms and legs. She held a slice of apple in her arms.

Her steps were small and quick, like those of a flitting bird. "Um, hi?" she said softly as she cocked her head to the left. Several long, wispy strands of brown hair fell in her face.

"Hello there," replied Ryus, looking up at her.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" She asked, shifting from one foot to the other. Her green eyes flickered in the dim firelight.

"Go ahead." Said Ryus, scooting over to give the girl more room. She slid to her knees gracefully and cut off a piece of the apple with a makeshift knife.

"Here," She offered Ryus a large slice of apple.

"Thanks" Ryus replied, smiling gratefully.

"It's no problem." She said as she continued carving slices out of the apple. "There's lots of fruit in these woods, but I was surprised to find an apple tree."

Ryus took a bite out of the apple. It was a little too sweet for his taste, but still a good apple. He wiped his mouth after he finished his meal. He allowed his eyes to run over the girl's frame, she was very small, and her bones appeared to be fragile. Her arms weren't very muscular so she probably didn't know how to hunt, in fact, she didn't really look like she could fight at all.

"So, what made you join the rebellion?" Ryus asked, "you don't look like the 'fighting type'"

She scoffed, "That's because I'm not. I didn't come to fight, I came to take care of the borrowers who get wounded after they lose the battle."

"Well you seem optimistic" Ryus said sarcastically.

She looked up at Ryus with an annoyed expression. "The borrowers can't survive without beans, as much as we wish that we could, it's impossible. If they didn't exist we'd die from starvation, we wouldn't even have the clothes on our backs if it weren't for the beans. Besides… the beans aren't intentionally dangerous, they just don't understand how what they do could effect something smaller than them, and it's not like we borrowers understand them either, we just live in different worlds. It's best if things stay the way they are." The girl finished slicing the apple and began packing it in a moleskin bag.

"Well what about people who've lost family to the beans? Shouldn't they get the opportunity for revenge?" Asked Ryus, resting his arm on his knee, "I mean it's not fair to the borrowers is it? Besides, you probably don't understand what it's like to lose family to the beans"

The girl looked up at the roof of the log. "That's true," she replied wistfully. "But sometimes it takes someone with 'eyes unclouded by hate' to see the best solution to a situation."

"That's an interesting way of looking at it." Replied Ryus.

"It's something that I heard in a story once, but I never realized how a situation can seem so different depending on the point of view of a person until recently." She said. There was a moment of silence as the girl got to her feet. She slung her bag on her shoulder and began to walk towards the other end of the log.

Suddenly Ryus burst out, "Wait!" The girl turned around and looked at him expectantly. "What's your name?" Ryus asked.

The girl smiled and replied, "It's Mayella." Before turning back and continuing toward the other side.

_Mayella… _He thought before lying back down and drifting off to sleep.

~:~:~:~

~Spiller's POV~

If his memory served, Spiller knew he and Arrietty were near Sho's house. Even if he'd never been to the house before Spiller would have known that they were close. It was in the way Arrietty was moving, with just a little more bounce in her step. It was in the faint smile that danced on her lips, in the way her eyes sparkled and darted around.

She was getting excited, that would have been enough for Spiller to know that they were nearing their destination.

The trees had begun to thin out. Instead of being nestled together, like in the forest, the trees here were farther spread out and were much smaller. The grass was also more trodden and a few faint footprints could be made out in the soft soil. The pair reached the edge of a clearing; Spiller immediately felt his stomach drop.

The clearing would be dangerous to cross; it left Spiller and Arrietty completely out in the open. Completely vulnerable. Spiller gently placed a hand on Arrietty's shoulder. She looked back at him quizzically. "Quiet," he whispered placing a finger to his lips, "very dangerous here". Arrietty nodded and continued to walk forward much more cautiously than before. Spiller sighed in relief and followed after her.

He was not looking foreword to seeing this 'Sho'. Arrietty had told him about Sho a few times. She always described him as 'brave', 'loyal', and 'kind'. Though Arrietty seemed happy when she talked about Sho, afterwards she always excused herself to her room and stayed there for a while. Spiller knew about the pain Sho had caused Arrietty. The loss of her first friend had left her lonely, and as much as Spiller tried to fill the void, she always seemed to hold a special place in her heart for Sho.

This irritated Spiller to no end. Whenever Arrietty talked about Sho she got a certain expression on her face, almost a dazed look. Whenever this happened Spiller began to feel sick to his stomach. He'd asked Homily about the feeling once and she'd replied with a small grin. "Well Spiller, I think you may be… Well, a little jealous." At first Spiller had thought 'Jealousy' was a type of illness. When he told Homily this she replied, "Well, in a way it sort of is, jealousy is when someone is afraid of losing someone they care about to someone else. "

Spiller was certain that the feeling he had right now was jealousy. Spiller immediately pushed the idea to the back of his mind and focused on keeping watch for any possible dangers. So far the clearing was quiet except for a few birdcalls and the sound of the wind whistling through the grass.

The duo made it through the clearing before Spiller heard the rustling of footsteps. He immediately pulled Arrietty to the ground, out of any possible predator's line of vision. Arrietty looked up at him, panic evident on her face. He placed his rough hand on her cheek and said,

"No worry" before getting up.

Spiller drew his bow just as the sound of footsteps thundered towards him and Arrietty. Spiller took aim and prepared to take shoot. His heart hammered in his chest as he realized the creature bounding towards him was a very large cat.

**SparklingGem: There's chapter five, Thank you for reading! I'm not sure if I like this chapter or not yet, but fear not, the next chapter is better I promise you, we'll be seeing a familiar face very soon ;) Now, time for Review Responses!**

**Cat-Stat-Ave: Thank you for the art! They did give me some ideas that I will either use in this fanfic or another Spiller/Arrietty fanfic I plan on writing :) thanks for reading!**

**yunadance6: I love Spiller and Arrietty too! I was really sad when I saw that there weren't many fics out there for them :( But thank you for the complement! I appreciate it :) **

**Primrose Everdeen: Thank you very much! I hope you liked this chapter as well :)**

**UXYforeverfan: The way they set up the End Of Year Tests was really weird this year, instead of having one big testing week they've spread it out over the last three weeks of school. So it's like week 1: Math Test week 2: Science test week 3: class finals. Finals are assessments are test we have to take that they use in our grades so I did have to prep earlier than I normally would. Lol . Thank you for reading! I appreciate your good luck wishes! **

**Please Review! I appreciate it!**


	6. Stars in the Sky

Chapter Six: Stars in the Sky

Arrietty looked up at Spiller as he drew his bow, his brows furrowed with determination as he took aim. Arrietty turned to see what was thundering towards them. Her heart leaped as she made out the familiar tan spots on the cat's long fur.

"Stop!" She shrieked desperately as she jumped up, grabbing hold of Spiller's bow and pushing it out of his grasp.

Spiller gave her a shocked expression as his bow skidded away from him in the dirt. Arrietty saw Spiller make a grab for his dagger, which he kept strapped at his waist. Arrietty grabbed his hand and turned towards the cat. Niya slowed to a stop in front of her, and dipped her nose towards Arrietty's face. Arrietty let go of Spiller's hand and touched her fingers lightly on Niya's nose.

"This is Niya," she explained, turning towards Spiller. "She's Sho's cat, she's the one who led Sho to me, so that we could say goodbye." Arrietty lightly stroked Niya's fur. The creature let out a content purr. Spiller looked at Niya nervously. Arrietty knew that Spiller would have good reason to be wary of cats, after all, they were very dangerous, but Niya was the one who led Sho to her, so Arrietty trusted Niya completely.

"Don't worry Spiller, I promise that Niya won't try to attack us" Arrietty assured, reaching for his hand. As her fingers slipped into his, she felt the rough calluses on his palm and felt herself smiling.

Arrietty gently guided Spiller's hand to Niya's fur. She saw his body stiffen as his fingers brush the cat's whiskers. Arrietty let Spiller's hand rest on Nya's chest. She saw Spiller's shoulders relax as Niya purred happily at the attention.

Arrietty could see Sho's house in the distance, but it was already dark out and she knew Spiller wouldn't let them travel at night, especially after the incident with the owl. Suddenly she got an idea. Arrietty stepped toward Niya and got a firm hold on some of her fur. She then pulled herself up, and onto the cat's back. She looked down Spiller who looked at her nervously.

"Arrietty, come off" he said reaching his hand up to her.

"Spiller, we can ride on Niya's back all the way to Sho's house, we'll get there much quicker this way, and it's much safer than going by foot." Arrietty replied stubbornly.

Spiller shifted from side to side, pondering if the cat would try and attack if he climbed onto her back.

Arrietty reached down to him and smiled. "I'll help you up." She offered.

Even though Spiller was still uncertain about riding a cat he grabbed his bow and accepted Arrietty's hand, pulling himself on after her.

Arrietty felt Niya rise to her feet and begin to trot towards Sho's house. Spiller's arms wrapped around her waist and she felt her cheeks flush. _Thank goodness it's dark_ she thought _he won't be able to see me blushing. _

Niya's pace quickened slightly and Arrietty's grip on the cat's fur tightened. The wind flowed through her hair, lifting it off her shoulders and face. Arrietty giggled as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She'd never moved this fast in her whole life. She looked back at Spiller and saw him grinning his wide grin at her. Arrietty let out a happy laugh and lifted her arms into the air and spread them like wings. She tipped her head back and let the wind rush through her fingers like water. She felt Spiller wrap his arms around her tighter, so that she wouldn't fall.

All to soon the ride was over. Niya slowed to a stop under Sho's bedroom window. The vines still clung to the walls of the old house and reached all the way up to the roof. Spiller slid off Niya's back first and helped Arrietty down after him.

Arrietty patted Niya's shoulder in thanks before darting towards the vines. "The vines lead up to Sho's room." Arrietty explained to Spiller. "I'll go first and you follow behind me. "

Spiller shook his head gruffly and replied, "Not follow, go with." Arrietty smiled at him as she got a firm footing on one of the vines.

"Alright, let's go." Arrietty pulled herself up. Spiller climbed the vines easily. Every now and then he'd grunt, but other than that the climb was easy for him. Spiller had to climb trees often when he went borrowing or hunting. However, Arrietty had a little bit more trouble.

It had been a while since she'd had to climb up something with vines and leaves. It wasn't any harder than the first time she'd climbed the wall, but it was still tiring. Arrietty paused for a moment to find the next branch to grab

"Want rest?" Spiller asked looking at her with concern. Arrietty waved her hand.

"I'm fine, go ahead" But Spiller waited for Arrietty to catch up then continued climbing. Arrietty could see through the thick green foliage that they were approaching the roof. The gray tiles stood out brightly in the pitch-black dark of the night.

Arrietty saw Spiller's fur disappear over the edge of the roof, she quickened her pace and pulled herself over the ledge next to Spiller, who helped her to her feet.

"Thanks Spiller." Arrietty smiled as she dusted off her dress.

"Not problem." Replied Spiller, grinning goofily at her. Arrietty felt her cheeks warm slightly, but she brushed the feeling it away.

The duo continued their ascent up the roof. Arrietty could make out Sho's window. Her heartbeat quickened. She moved from a brisk walk to a jog. She could feel a grin spreading across her face. She heard Spiller's pace behind her increase as well. As she got closer to the window Arrietty heard herself let out a gleeful giggle. She jumped onto the windowpane and pressed her face against the screen.

"Sho!" She shouted slapping her hands against the screen. She looked around the room. The bed, dresser and dollhouse were all in the same spot as the last time she was here, but she couldn't see Sho. She opened her mouth to call out for him again but felt a warm hand clamp over her face. She looked over to see Spiller pulling her to his chest while whispering,

"Shhhhh"

Arrietty looked up at him. His long, messy, black hair hung in his face, and smudges of dirt were smeared across his tan cheeks. Spiller looked down at her, his brown eyes slowly began to close as he leaned towards her.

Arrietty's eyelids grew heavy for a moment, and she could feel herself leaning towards him. Then she remembered Sho. Even though she wasn't sure what her feelings were, Arrietty always felt like she was betraying Sho whenever she was close to Spiller. Especially when they almost kiss. _Especially when I almost want him to kiss me… _Arrietty and Spiller's lips brushed for a moment, just a moment, before Arrietty pulled away.

Spiller coughed nervously and backed away, his cheeks burned crimson.

Arrietty shook her head, almost like she was trying to shake the blush off her cheeks. She turned back to the window and searched the room for Sho.

The room was definitely empty. Arrietty sighed as her heart sank. _Maybe there will be a hole in the screen…_ Arrietty thought.

"Look for an opening or a tears in the screen." Arrietty told Spiller as she felt along the edges of the screen.

Spiller closely examined the corners. "Find any?" Spiller asked.

"No." Arrietty replied as she thumped the ground. "I guess we'll just have to wait till he comes in." Spiller grunted and sat down across from her.

It was later in the night by now; the only light was from the moon and the stars. The light summer breeze whistled through the air and owls hooted in the forest. The sound of cricket's songs floated up from the gardens.

_The gardens…_ Arrietty had forgotten how much she'd missed them. Sure, the gardens at the new house were nice, but nothing could compare to theses gardens. Even though they had clearly not been well maintained, the gardens were full of color and life, one of the things Arrietty loved most about the outdoors. Arrietty smiled as a familiar feeling of comfort crept into her heart.

"It's so wonderful to be back home." Arrietty said turning towards Spiller. He looked at her through his hair, a fleeting look of pain shot across his face. Arrietty quickly realized her error.

"No, no, I didn't mean-" She started.

"Spiller understand" Spiller replied before looking out into the gardens. The pain was evident in his voice.

Arrietty inwardly berated herself and looked up at the sky. It was a shade of blue that could easily be mistaken as black, and the stars winked like little diamonds. The moon gave of a faint ray of silver light.

_The sky looks so wide open. _Arrietty thought as the stars smiled down at her. "You know, when I was little, before I was allowed to go outside, I'd sit on the grate and look at the stars and imagine I could fly up and touch them. I always wished that I could fly. I always thought it would be far better in the sky than under the floorboards."

Arrietty looked towards Spiller and saw that her was looking at her intently, waiting for her to continue.

"You want to know something I've realized ever since I left the house?" Arrietty asked. Spiller grunted. "I've realized that I can't stay cooped up under the floor and in the walls anymore. I've got to be outside, in the open air, with adventure, where… I'm free." Arrietty whispered, resting her chin on her knees as the wind wafted through her hair.

"Spiller too."

Arrietty turned to him.

"Spiller want be free too. That why live outside." Spiller struggled on the last part of the sentence. "So Spiller can be free, always" Arrietty smiled and slid closer to him. She opened her mouth to say something.

_Click. _

Sho's bedroom door opened. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Spiller grabbed his bow, and Arrietty jumped to her feet, whirling around to see who was at the door. She ran up to the screen, nearly crashing into it.

There was a boy. He was taller then the previous summer and his shoulders were broader. He wore black pants and a white shirt. His blue-black hair brushed his eyes, which were the same dark color that Arrietty remembered.

His eyes widened when he saw Arrietty at the window. His lips parted slightly as a smile erupted on his face. A single word flew from Arrietty.

"Sho!"

**So that's chapter six! Sorry it took so long! I hope you liked it, I worked really hard on it. IMPORTANT! Please review, I know it seems silly, but I really appreciate it, I'll accept criticism! :) I just want your feedback, it means a lot to me. More reviews, faster updates (they motivate me). Now time for Review Responses!**

**Primrose Everdeen: Thank you! I was going for that! Lol :) thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter too!**

**Mai: Thanks for all the reviews! I hope you liked this chapter too ^_^ **


	7. Reunited

Chapter Seven: Reunited

"Arrietty?" Sho exclaimed, running towards the window. His hands slammed against the windowpane as he struggled to open it. _It's her! It's really her!_ He could see Arrietty struggling to open the window too, even though she was far to small to make it budge.

Sho grunted and heaved at the window, causing it to shoot up. He stumbled forward slightly; he caught himself on the window's ledge and reached out to Arrietty. He saw a look of glee light up her face as she leapt onto his hand.

He heard her crying, "It's you! It's really you!" little tears slid down her cheeks as her held her to his chest; It was the best hug that they could manage. He felt her tiny fists clenching tightly to his shirt.

"I didn't think I'd see you again." Sho whispered to her as he lifted the small borrower to eye- level.

"I thought the same thing," Arrietty replied, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. Sho drank her in. She had only gotten more beautiful since the last time he'd seen her. Arrietty's thick, auburn hair framed her oval face. Her large dark eyes shined with joy as she looked at him. She still wore her red borrowing dress and brown boots. "You've grown" she said softly touching his thumb.

"Only a little bit. After the operation I started growing, but I'm still not as strong as the other kids at my school." Sho smiled.

"School?" Asked Arrietty. Sho opened his mouth to answer her but was interrupted by a gruff coughing noise. Spiller looked down towards the window again.

He saw a rough looking borrower looking at him pointedly. He had tan skin and shaggy black hair that fell in his face. He wore a tunic underneath some type of cape; it was some type of fur. Sho noticed the borrower held a bow in his left hand, but his right hovered near his waist as if he were about to grab something.

Sho looked at Arrietty pointedly. "Oh!" She exclaimed with sudden realization, "Sho this is Spiller, he's the one who found my family's new home." She explained. "Spiller, this is Sho, my best friend." Sho smiled at his title, he felt his heart warm slightly.

"How did you get here?" Sho asked as he gently set Arrietty on his bed.

"Spiller and I walked, It took us… How long Spiller?" Spiller looked at Arrietty then paused to think. Sho saw him counting on his fingers the number of days.

"Spiller think… Four days, three nights" He said.

"You walked all that time just to see me?" Sho looked down at Arrietty. He saw her face fall.

"I wish that was all this visit was, but there's something I have to tell you, Spiller can you come over here?" Spiller nodded and walked toward the ledge. Sho offered his hand so that he could carry Spiller to the bed.

Spiller looked at his hand for a moment, then he turned to Sho and shook his head. Sho saw the borrower strap his bow across his torso, then he took off his fur and tied the bottom corners to his ankles and gripped the front corners tightly with his hands. Then, to Sho's surprise, Spiller jumped off the ledge. Sho watched the breeze from the open window carry Spiller all the way to his bed. Spiller landed next to Arrietty and looked at Sho pointedly, a slight grin on his face.

Sho felt his face flare up slightly. _I know what he's doing… _realized Sho _He's jealous because he likes Arrietty! _Sho felt his own jealousy rise for a moment, but it quickly subsided.

Sho took a seat next to Arrietty, "So what did you come her for then?" He asked.

Arrietty sighed sadly then looked at Spiller, then back at Sho.

Sho felt his heart stop for a moment. "Are- Are you two getting… _Married?_" Sho asked.

Arrietty and Spiller looked at each other, they both wore matching blushes. "N-No!" stuttered Arrietty as she flushed red. Sho inwardly sighed with relief.

Sho watched Arrietty regain her composure before she tried again.

"Sho, the last time I saw you you said you thought we were a dying species-" Sho winced at the memory and tried to ignore the angry look Spiller gave him. "Well it turns out, we aren't. There are things called Borrower Cities, where borrowers go to trade and live with more borrowers. They're usually under small towns or in the 'bean's' neighborhoods, where they can get a lot of borrowings, but still not be noticed." Sho nodded, It seemed to make sense that borrowers would do that. "But lately there have been… Uprisings." Sho raised an eyebrow.

"Some Borrowers have lost family and friends to the beans, and sometimes things get a little out of control, but this time it's worse. There is supposed to be a whole group of borrowers coming to attack." Arrietty paused "They're coming here."

Sho's mouth formed an 'O'. "You mean they want to attack the house! But that's crazy"

Arrietty nodded, "I think they're just sad. Borrowers aren't violent people, we just want to survive." Spiller nodded in agreement. "I came to warn you." Continued Arrietty, "I'll help you stop them, I think if we can just talk to them then we can calm them down. "

Sho nodded, "I can go down and talk to the borrowers too, maybe-"

Arrietty shook her head. "That would only frighten them. I think it would be better if you stayed upstairs and we went to go talk to them, and will you keep Niya up here too? If she chases them off they still won't understand that not all 'beans' are dangerous."

Sho looked at Arrietty uncertainly, but she continued to look at him pleadingly. Sho sighed. "Alright."

"No worry." Spiller said abruptly, Sho looked down at him. Spiller was looking at Sho with a determined look, "Spiller keep Arrietty safe." Sho nodded and leaned down towards Spiller.

"I'm going to hold you to that."

Spiller nodded.

"So, Arrietty." Sho turned back towards the small borrower. "Tell me everything, how is your family? Where are they now?"

"My family is fine, we live in a cottage with two old ladies named Meredith and Gertrude." Sho nodded.

"Have you met any other borrowers?"

"Yes, so far _I've _only met one family, There's Rupard, Maltessa and their son Ryus."

Sho noticed Spiller standing off awkwardly to the side, he kept his eyes fixed on Arrietty the whole time. Sho looked towards Arrietty, "Do you think you two might want to take a bath?" Sho asked.

Arrietty looked at him curiously, "Where would we take one?"

"I can plug the drain in the bathroom sink and fill it with bubbles, you can take a bath that way." Arrietty nodded and looked at Spiller.

"You can go first Spiller." Arrietty said. Spiller looked at her nervously then shook his head from side to side quickly. "Don't worry Spiller, I'll go right after you." Spiller looked like he was going to refuse again, but he eventually grunted an,

"Ok"

Arrietty smiled at Spiller, Sho saw a blush creep onto the warrior's face. He sighed and picked up Spiller.

Spiller looked at him with a look of shock then anger as he carried him to the bathroom. Spiller struggled in his grasp as Sho plugged the sink and filled it with warm water. He set Spiller down on the counter and looked around for any tupe of flotation device.

Spiller jumped away from Sho like his hand was on fire. Spiller's hand immediately went to the quiver of bows strapped to his waist, but then stopped. He clearly didn't want Arrietty to get upset with him.

Sho looked in the drawer under the sink and found the best option: a sponge. Sho dropped it in the water and turned to Spiller, who looked at him with open distaste.

"You can get undressed here, then walk to the sink and jump onto the sponge, I already put some soap in the water, you can swim around in there if you want, I'll bring Arrietty in for her turn in a few minutes. " Sho turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Spiller cautiously looked over the sink's edge. The water looked harmless enough. The sponge also looked stable, and the water level was high enough that he could jump from the sponge to the edge of the sink.

Spiller took off his fur and put it by the tap, he then removed his belt and shoes and forearm protectors. Lastly he peeled off his tunic and jumped into the water.

~:~:~:~

Ryus was sitting in the grass. The chirps of crickets filled the night air as he examined the house in the distance. It was about a day's journey away. Einar had said they'd leave in the morning so they could get a good night's rest.

Ryus turned around to see Einar pep talking a small group of borrowers huddled around a campfire. Over the past few days Einar had managed to keep himself looking clean and collected, despite being in the wild for a few days.

Ryus noticed Mayella sitting in the small group of women that had come along, all had lost children to the beans. She was wrapping scrapes and cuts for them. Ryus smiled. Everynow and then she'd shoot an annoyed look at Einar, but she'd never say anything.

For a split second everything was quiet, no wind, no crickets, no owls, no voices. Just silence.

_It's the quiet before the storm._

~:~:~:~

Sho gently set Arrietty on the counter; "I can fill up the sink again for you Do you want some vanilla soap? It's a little more feminine than the soap in here. I can borrow I from Sadako's room.

"Sure, Arrietty replied that'd be nice. Sho smiled and closed the bathroom door. Arrietty heard the creaking of steps of stairs, and then all was quiet. Arrietty made her way towards the sink. She stopped a few inches away and looked around. The air by the sink was a thick mist and was warm. Arrietty kneeled down and started to unlace her boots when she heard a sloshing sound and feet patting on the counter. She looked up to see Spiller looking at her, his face was bright red and his mouth was slightly agape.

"A-Arrietty?" he asked, embarrassed. Arrietty's eyes trailed past his bare chest, and below his waist for a split second.

"Eeep!" She shrieked before whirling around so that she was facing away from him. "I'm _so _sorry!" She cried trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

She heard the scuttling of feet and the shifting of clothing on skin.

"Arrietty can look now."

Arrietty cautiously turned around. Even though Spiller was fully clothed, save his fur which was draped over his arms. Spiller's face still had the same shade as a tomato. His damp hair clung to his face and drops of water clung to his bare arms. "Did see?" Spiller asked.

"See what?" Arrietty asked. Spiller grunted and shifted from side to side. "Oh, you mean _that_!" She said, her cheeks burning. "No, I didn't see anything." She lied.

Spiller seemed to look relieved and walked toward the other end of the counter.

Sho then entered the room, with a bottle of soap in hand. Spiller and Arrietty avoided eye contact and faced away from each other while Sho refilled the sink. Sho thought it was best not to comment on it though. He added a few squirts of vanilla soap and swirled the water around. He then turned to Arrietty.

"Have a nice bath, I'll come back in a few minutes, and I'll knock before I come in." Sho assured. He offered his open palm to Spiller, who grudgingly allowed Sho to carry him. Once the door was shut Arrietty sighed and removed her shoes, followed by her dress. She slid from the sink's edge down to the sponge. She landed with a 'pumph' as the water splashed around her face.

Arrietty picked up a poof of foam and rubbed it across her body, when she was done she slipped off the sponge and into the warm water.

She rinsed the suds off her body then dunked to wet her hair. She rinsed her hair and dunked again. She still had a few minutes left. She swam from one side of the sink to the other a few times, but was quickly bored of that. _I wonder if I can touch the bottom…._ She thought curiously. She looked down at the base of the sink. _It doesn't look that far…_ She thought.

Taking a large gulp of air Arrietty dived down and started kicking her legs. She couldn't see how far from the bottom she was, but she knew she was close when she felt her ears pop.

Her chest was starting to burn when her hands collided with the smooth floor of the sink. Arrietty flipped around and kicked off the floor propelling her towards the surface.

Her lungs were screaming now. Arrietty pumped her legs harder. She flung her hand up and her fingers broke the surface. Arrietty gulped for air, relishing it as it filled her lungs. She laughed cheerfully and climbed onto the sponge. She pulled herself up and rung the water out of her hair. She slid on her dress and shoes and waited for Sho to come and get her.

He knocked just like he'd promised. While he drained the sink he asked her how her bath was.

"It was really nice, thanks for the soap, it smells lovely." Arrietty said as he carried her to his room. He set her on the bed next to Spiller who smiled when he saw her.

"Nice bath?" He asked with a wide smile. Arrietty returned the grin

"It was wonderful." She said.

"Smell nice." Spiller said looking at her.

Arrietty leaned in and sniffed his hair. It smelled sort of spicy, not at all like soil and earth, the smell Arrietty preferred.

"You smell nice" Arrietty said pulling away.

"No, _Arrietty _smell nice."

"Oh," Arrietty giggled, embarrassed. "Thank you."

Sho had opened up the dollhouse for them, "There's a bedroom behind the study, I hadn't noticed it before, but it's there, and there's two beds. " Arrietty and Spiller ventured into the bedroom. "It's late so I'll see you two in the morning." Sho said.

"Goodnight." Said Arrietty with a wave.

"Night." replied Sho with a smile.

Arrietty turned to examine the room. It was just as glamorous as the living room and kitchen had been. Two identical beds were on opposite sides of the room. A wardrobe, vanity, and a lamp were also nicely placed in the room. Arrietty flopped on one of the beds. Exhaustion had finally hit her.

"It's nice to be on a bed again, huh Spiller?" She said as she pulled up the covers.

He grunted.

"Are you tired."

Spiller grunted again. Arrietty giggled

"Goodnight Spiller"

"Goodnight Arrietty"

**Yay! I hope you liked this chapter! I worked super hard on it! Please, review! I update faster if I get reviews, I'll take criticism! I want your feedback! I appreciate it! :) Thanks for reading! Now, time for Reviewer Responses!**

**Cat-Stat-Ave: Thank you very much! I really appreciate it :) You're so sweet! Thank you!**

**London Bai: I tried to make this chapter a little longer :) I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as well :) **

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**Mai: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter :D**

**silvrechan: Is this the same silvrechan writing Arrietty's Journey? :D Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter! :) **

**Krystyle: Arigatou gozaimasu! Anata wa yasashi desu :) lol I'm studying Japanese in school :D**


	8. All in a Moment

Chapter Eight: All in a Moment

She was standing in a room completely enveloped in darkness. Arrietty couldn't see anything in front of her, just darkness. She tried to take a step foreword, but it was like trying to wade through watery mud. Arrietty suddenly felt her feet fall out from under her. No, that wasn't it. The ground had just disappeared, right form underneath her! She felt her heart jump into her throat. She tried to open her mouth and scream for help, but no matter how hard she tried, no noise would come. Her body plummeted through the air, it like jumping off a cliff without being able to see the bottom.

Arrietty tried to scream out Spiller's name, but to no avail. The ground came rushing towards her, out of the murky darkness. Arrietty tried to shriek. She covered her face in her hands and screamed, "Spiller!"

Arrietty shot up from the Doll's bed; her tears had soaked her cheeks. Spiller's face suddenly blurred into her view, Arrietty flung her arms around him and clung to him tightly.

Spiller felt her body shaking against his chest as she hung onto him. "What happen?" he asked, placing his hands on her cheeks and tilting her face up towards his, "Spiller heard Arrietty scream, is Arrietty ok?" he asked gently.

Arrietty nodded slowly. "I think I just had a nightmare," she said wiping the tears from her face. Spiller nodded, but her didn't leave Arrietty's side. He waited for Arrietty to recompose herself. She sighed and brushed the hair out of her face. "I'm alright now." She smiled.

Spiller nodded uncertainly and stood up, he put his bow over his shoulder and walked towards the exit. "'Bean' went to get food." He said, turning back to look at Arrietty, she was slipping the white bag over her head and onto her shoulder.

"You mean Sho?" Arrietty asked, looking up at Spiller. He nodded with a grunt. Arrietty smiled and joined him at the door. Just as the pair made their way onto Sho's side table the 'bean' entered the room.

"Good morning Arrietty, Spiller." Sho smiled as he set down a plate in front of them. "I brought you some breakfast."

"Thank you Sho! This looks wonderful!" Arrietty smiled as she clamored onto the plate. She broke off a piece of a muffin and popped it in her mouth. "It's delicious!" She exclaimed with a grin, reaching for some more food.

Sho looked at Spiller. "Don't you want some?" he asked the rugged borrower. Spiller was about to decline when Arrietty interrupted.

"It's really good Spiller, you should try some."

Spiller shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He felt like accepting the food from Sho would mean he'd lost some sort of battle, and he had no plans of losing anything, but if he said no, then he'd be rude to Arrietty.

Spiller sighed and climbed onto the platter.

Arrietty smiled at him and handed him some muffin. "Thanks" he said as he chewed the muffin.

Arrietty laughed. Spiller suddenly remembered Homily once telling him that it was bad manners to speak when one's mouth was full. He blushed and ducked his head.

"So how did you sleep?" Sho asked kneeling down to the Borrowers' eye level.

"We slept very well, thank you." Arrietty smiled. Spiller tried to ignore the fact that she was lying. Spiller ate his fill while listening to Arrietty ask Sho questions mostly about something called a 'school'.

"So you get to learn new things everyday?" Arrietty asked excitedly.

"Yea, but it's not as exciting as it sounds." Sho admitted.

"I think it would be wonderful if Borrowers had _schools_." Arrietty replied.

Sho smiled at her, Spiller saw the two exchange some type of intimate moment. The two had just smiled into each other's eyes. Speaking without words. Spiller looked away, the familiar feeling of jealousy rising inside him. He pushed the feeling away, now wasn't the time; he could feel tension in the air. He knew the others could feel it too.

It was the feeling of an impending battle.

~:~:~:~

Ryus removed the scissors that had been strapped to his back and held them at the ready. The group of borrowers was silently approaching the house. He looked to his left. Einar had a strange look on his face, most of the time he'd been calm and collected, Ryus had never seen him lose his temper. However, now he had a faint smile on his face.

To his right, Mayella stood nervously, her only weapon was a small tack. He knew she didn't want to fight, but wasn't she scared?

As if she could sense his gaze she looked at him. She gave him a grim smile and looked foreword again.

Einar turned to the rest of the borrowers, "We'll make our way to the living room, and if no one is downstairs we'll move on to the second level." He announced. Everyone nodded and followed him.

Once the group made their way into the house they began searching. The kitchen was empty. Ryus could see the confusion in the borrower's eyes. Einar looked a little surprised, but he managed to keep his cool.

Ryus felt something bump into his side. He turned and saw Mayella looking at him.

"You think the 'beans' are home?" She asked. Ryus shrugged for a moment, then he heard the creaking of footsteps above them.

"They're definitely home." He replied, opening the scissors slightly, so he could cut a 'bean' if they came too close.

"Hey Ryus?" Mayella asked. Her voice wavered.

"Yea?" Ryus replied in a whisper. The group of borrowers had become quiet. They too had heard the footsteps.

"I'm scared." She said. Her voice cracked. Ryus looked down at the small borrower. She was trying to hold back her tears and be strong. Ryus moved one hand from his scissor and down to Mayella's hand. They looked into each other's eyes.

"I promise, I'll keep you safe." Ryus said, squeezing Mayella's hand gently.

She smiled softly at him and squeezed his hand back. Ryus looked away just in time to see a middle aged, male, borrower scaling a coffee table. Ryus's heart clenched. "Stop!" He yelled as the borrower accidentally knocking a small, unlit candle off the table.

He watched the white candle fall in slow motion as it smashed into the ground with a loud _thump_.

_Oh no…_ thought Ryus, instantly regretting joining the 'Revolution'.

~:~:~:~

Arrietty's head shot up. She turned to Spiller. "Did you hear that?" She asked. Spiller nodded and stood up, drawing his bow. She turned to Sho, whose dark eyes widened.

"They're here aren't they?" He asked standing up, offering an open palm to Arrietty and Spiller.

Arrietty nodded, "yes, they're here". The two borrowers climbed onto Sho's hand. Sho started walking to the door, Spiller and Arrietty struggled to keep their balance as Sho lowered them onto the floor. Spiller wrapped a steadying arm around Arrietty's shoulders as they hopped from Sho's hand to the floor below.

Sho opened his bedroom door just enough for Spiller and Arrietty to slip through. "Wait," He whispered desperately. Arrietty spun around. "Here," Sho said handing Arrietty something small, red, and plastic.

"My clip," Arrietty smiled softly, "you kept it. " Sho nodded.

"It's to keep you safe," He said. Arrietty nodded and fastened the clip into her hair she looked at him for a moment then turned and followed Spiller out the door.

~:~:~:~

The man looked down at the other borrowers. "I- I'm so sorry-" He stuttered.

"You imbecile!" Einar shouted furiously. "You put this mission in danger! If we don't have the element of surprise the 'beans' will kill us all!" He shouted, his face contorted with rage and his silver eyes flashed viciously.

The other borrower looked from side to side frantically before turning and sliding down the coffee table's leg, he then ran towards the way they came in.

"You fool!" Einar screamed desperately. "Who else is too cowardly to stay and fight for our freedom?"

The crowd murmured uneasily. Einar's eyes widened with shock. "Very well then," He said stiffly drawing his own weapon, a long, sharp shard of glass. "I'll go myself."

The man made his way up the stairs with surprising speed considering his age.

"He's gone crazy…" Mayella said, dismayed. It was all Ryus could do to nod dumbly. He was pulled out of his haze when a familiar voice cried,

"Stop!"

~:~:~:~

"You don't have to do this!" Arrietty pleaded with the borrower making his way up the stairs.

"Get out of the way, girl." The man said, his silver eyes flared with anger. His hair fell in his eyes.

Arrietty hopped down one step and continued to try to calm the borrower, Spiller followed behind, his bow already drawn. "Not all 'beans' want to hurt us, they're really kind once you get to know them." Arrietty said desperately.

"They kill our kind!" The older man spat back, if he climbed one more step he'd be on the same stair as Arrietty.

"They don't know what they're doing, I've spoken with a 'bean' before and-"

"You _spoke _to a 'bean'?" The older borrower said, he was now climbing to his feet across from Arrietty. "You've betrayed your own kind!" He yelled.

Arrietty heard Spiller growl in anger.

"No, I'd never betray the borrowers, I am a borrower! But I can't let anyone, even a borrower try to kill innocent people." Arrietty replied. "You must have forgotten what it really means to be a borrower." She said softly.

The man's eyes flared. Then everything slowed down Arrietty saw the borrower throw the glass he'd been wielding towards her face. She immediately turned her head, she heard the glass shatter and felt her hair fall around her face, _my clip… it must have deflected the glass._

She heard Spiller's arrow whiz past her ear. She saw the other borrower barely dodge it. He came running towards her. Arrietty's eyes widened with fear as she tried to jump away from the borrower, but he was too quick.

Arrietty felt his hands grab her shoulders and shove her. She felt the ground disappear from under her. For a moment she was suspended in the air, hanging. She tried to scream, but she couldn't make a sound. Arrietty saw the stairs rushing towards her as she plummeted through the air. _Is this… The end? _

**That's chapter eight! I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter yet, but I hope you guys liked it! Please review! I update faster if you review! Now, time for Review Responses! :D **

**London Bai: Thank you very much! ^o^ I hope you like this chapter as well! **

**Primrose Everdeen: Thank you so much! You are so kind! Your reviews mean a lot to me! I hope you liked this chapter :) **

**silvrechan: Ahhhh! :D that's so cool! I love your story :), and thank you! I worked really hard on Spilleer/Sho interactions ^_^ **

**superfan8: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter just as much as the others! Your reviews were all very kind! :) **

**Mai: I hope you liked this chapter as well! ^_^ thank you for your kindness :) **

**JeremyX: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter! :)**

**Please review! Thank you! ^_^**


	9. Someplace In Between

Chapter Nine: Someplace In-Between

_Where am I? _Arrietty wondered. Honestly, she had no idea. She couldn't feel anything, or see anything. _I'm so tired…_ Arrietty thought as drowsiness weighed down heavily on her eyes. She suddenly felt a soft tug pulling her up, she felt like a cork when it's just been pulled from a bottle. She felt light, almost like a feather drifting in the wind.

_Where am I going? _

"Well, that's up to you." A voice replied. Arrietty's eyes flew open. Too her surprise, Arrietty found herself floating above a field that was dappled with all types of wild flowers. A blue ravine curved through the land, which seemed to stretch farther than the eye could see. Arrietty looked up to see clouds surrounding her, the white fluffs drifted by her, carried by the soft wind that flowed all around Arrietty. _I'm really flying! _She realized as she spread her arms like wings. She let out a joyful laugh and threw her head back blissfully.

"What is this place?" She asked herself as she looked around her. She saw a tree reaching up in the distance. It was so tall it was touching the clouds. The branches reached out like arms, they were covered in an assortment of green leaves that waved in the breeze. Arrietty flew closer and landed on a branch.

A flurry of leaves whirled around her, carried by the wind. As the breeze ruffled her hair she heard a familiar sound float past her ears. _Laughter… My laughter… _ Arrietty's heart seized up. She ran towards the trunk of the tree and hung on as tight as she could. Her heart thumped in her chest.

"Don't be afraid." A voice said gently. Arrietty gasped and whirled towards the voice. Her eyes met with a small old man. His long silver hair fell down his back. A small smile danced on his face and in his eyes. Lines branched across his face, telling the story of his age.

"Who are you?" Arrietty asked, stepping backwards.

"Well, isn't that a question!" The man laughed tipping his head up towards the canopy of branches above their heads. "I guess there isn't a clear answer, at least not one you would understand." He stepped foreword.

"Where am I?" Arrietty questioned, leaning forewords ever so slightly.

"I suppose it's understandable that you'd be asking that, after all, you've never seen this place before… This is your Tree of Memories." He explained smiling. _Tree of Memories? _Arrietty wondered.

"So the laughter I heard before…"

"Was one of your memories." The man finished as he sat down on one of the branches. "I must say you have a wonderful tree. It's very strong and very kind hearted." He turned to Arrietty and smiled kindly at her.

"Why am I here? How did I-" Arrietty began before she realized, "Am I… Dead?" Her heart dropped, and she felt tears beginning to rise behind her eyes.

The man looked off into the distance. "Well," He began "I suppose that depends on what you choose."

"I can choose?" Arrietty asked, shocked. She took a seat next to him and let her feet dangle over the side of the branch.

"Yes, " the man smiled, "You can choose if you are ready to move on, or if you want to stay."

"Stay? You mean here? In my Tree of Memories?" Arrietty asked feeling her heart sink.

"Oh no child, stay in the World of the Living." He laughed.

"So where am I now? The World of the Spirits?" Arrietty asked.

"Not quite…" The man replied, "The Tree of Memories is a sort of decision making place. You can look over your life and decide if it's your time."

"So I'm someplace in-between life and death." Arrietty decided.

"That's definitely one way to see it." The man replied, nodding. They sat in silence for a moment.

"So, can you show me?" Arrietty asked nervously.

"Your memories? No, only you can do that." He replied standing up. Arrietty stumbled up next to him, and brushed off her dress.

"But how do I know if it's my time?" Arrietty asked, following after the man as he began to walk away.

The man turned towards her. "You'll know." He said. Then, He disappeared. Arrietty backed away and thumped down on a branch.

"Easy for him to say." Arrietty mumbled as she picked a leaf off the tree. Suddenly her vision blurred. She heard a clatter of sounds fill her ears, and splotches of color cloud her sight before her vision finally cleared.

She was back in her home, in the kitchen. Her mother was at the stove, stirring a thick brown stew.

"Mother?" Arrietty asked reaching forward, but just as she reached out to touch her mother's shoulder, her hand slipped right through Homily, almost like a reaching through a mist.

Arrietty gasped as she heard the door open, she turned around to see… _That's me! _She realized, stepping back in shock.

'_Hello mother!' _Other Arrietty said cheerfully, '_is there anything I can do to help?_ '

'_No, thank you dear' _Homily replied with a warm smile. Other Arrietty nodded and left the room.

Arrietty followed herself to her father's workspace, where he was repairing a dented thimble. She watched as she laughed with her father for a moment, then she watched herself walk outside.

Once in the garden, Other Arrietty took a seat in the soft garden soil and looked at the sky, she was soon joined by Spiller who sat next to her. Arrietty didn't listen to what they were saying but watched what they were doing, she saw herself and Spiller them lean towards each other, it was so subtle that neither of the two seemed to notice, It almost seemed like an instinct. The pair wore soft, content smiles on their faces.

Spiller suddenly jumped up from his place next to Other Arrietty and climbed up the tall stem of a honeysuckle plant.

'_What are you doing?' _Arrietty called after him, standing at the base of the flower. Spiller grinned down at her before disappearing behind some golden blossoms. Arrietty laughed as Spiller jumped down with several Honeysuckle blossoms in his arms. He pushed them into Arrietty's arms shyly. Arrietty smiled at him and thanked him with a hug.

Arrietty saw Spiller's cheeks burn red. _All this time? _Arrietty wondered. She felt herself smiling softly at the memory, and her heart warmed. With an abrupt realization Arrietty jumped up with much ferver. "I know what I want to do." She said confidently. The memory dissolved around her, and before she knew it, the tree's leaves surrounded her once again.

"You've chosen?" The old man asked.

"Yes," replied Arrietty certainly. "I want to return"

"May I ask why?" The old man asked curiously.

"That's easy, I'm in love." Arrietty shrugged with a simple smile on her lips.

"I thought so," The old man replied with a knowing smile. Then, everything blurred and Arrietty felt herself being pulled, only this time, she was certain of where she was going.

~:~:~:~

When Spiller saw Arrietty fall, he felt something inside him explode. A roar came bursting out of him as he jumped onto the man who had pushed Arrietty. The man yelped in surprise and anger as Spiller used his knees to pin down the borrower's body.

Spiller unsheathed the knife he kept at his waist and raised it above his head, raised to strike. Suddenly he felt a force slam into his side and knock him roughly off of his prey.

Spiller looked up to see Ryus standing over him.

"Don't do it Spiller! He's not worth it!" He shouted. Spiller, despite his raging fury, slowly managed to calm himself down. "Mayella! Go check on Arrietty!" Commanded Ryus, pointing in the direction the she'd fallen.

"Right!" a petite brown haired borrower replied s she jumped down to the step where Arrietty had landed.

"You guys, tie up Einar! Don't let him run away!" Several fully grown borrowers pinned and bound Einar's arms and legs, but only one thought flooded Spiller's mind, "Arrietty!" Spiller shouted, his voice was strained with what could be described as agony.

Spiller jumped up violently, knocking Ryus off of him. He practically flew off the step and stumbled over to Arrietty's body, which had landed in a position that would have made her appear to be sleeping . He fell to his knees next to her weakly and pulled her small frame into his arms.

"Be careful." The borrower named Mayella warned gently.

Arrietty's head lolled against his chest. "Arrietty…" he whispered as he touched the side of her face with his hand. He felt hot tears burn in his eyes. Spiller hadn't cried for as long as he could remember, but now he let his tears fall. They fell onto Arrietty's cheeks and slid slowly down the girl's face. "Spiller sorry, so, so sorry." He cried, and the tears dripped down his tan cheeks, causing thin lines in his white war paint to wash away. He held Arrietty's body close to his, resting her chin on his shoulder. His whole body began to shake as a choked sob escaped his lips. The warrior slowly rocked Arrietty's body back and forth.

"Spiller…" A familiar voice whispered faintly. Spiller's heart jumped, and he held Arrietty's head in his hands and turned her face towards him.

"Arrietty?" He asked softly, his heart beat thumped wildly in his chest. He felt his heart soar when she opened her eyes, her beautiful, beautiful eyes.

Without thinking, Spiller brought his lips down on hers. He kissed her for every moment he'd held back, for every instant he longed to be with her, for every second he thought he'd never hear her voice or feel her touch again.

He pulled away for a moment to catch his breath before looking back into her eyes. She smiled at him, her red-brown hair splayed around her face.

"Spiller?" She whispered softly.

"Hn?" He asked.

"I love you."

Spiller felt like he could fly, He felt a grin spread across his face, "Spiller love- _I _love Arrietty too." Arrietty smiled and touched her hand to his cheek and pulled Spiller closer, letting their lips meet.

**This is probably my favorite chapter despite it being really, **_**really **_**short, sorry about that':( , but I worked really hard on this and I hope you love this chapter just as much as I do! Please review :D Now, time for Review Responses! **

**London Bai: Thank you :) I'm glad you liked it :D **

**superfan8: Ahhhhh! I know right? I had a craving for muffins when I was writing that scene! They're sooo delicious :'D **

**JeremyX: Thank you :) Here's your update ^_^**

**Primrose Everdeen: I'm glad you like it :) **

**yunadance6: Thank you ^o^**

**goldacharmed: I'm glad you like it :) Sho didn't exactly save her, but I hope this ending was just as good as, or better than you hoped ^_^**

**Primrose Everdeen: I'm happy that you like him ^_^ I love Spiller too :D Thank you for Reviewing!**

**Thank you all for reading! Please review! I'd appreciate it!**


	10. Is This The End?

Chapter Ten: Is This The End?

Ryus leaned against the wall and looked at Einar's hunched form. He was well bound and they'd be taking him back to the city soon. Einar would be held under a sort of 'house arrest' for the rest of his life, which was the only way they could be sure that he wouldn't create another uprising.

Arrietty was standing over Einar's broken form. The old man's once well-kept hair was falling in his face and his once steely eyes looked like a cloudy gray. Ryus didn't know why Arrietty had wanted to speak to the man who had nearly killed her, but she'd insisted.

Spiller stood behind her, keeping a watchful eye on Einar, just in case he'd try to attack Arrietty.

Ryus didn't plan on marrying Arrietty now, he knew full well he could be a jerk, but he still wanted Arrietty to be happy and if that meant Spiller was her true love, then so be it.

He felt someone nudge his shoulder. He looked over and saw Mayella looking shyly up at him. Her brown hair fell around her oval face in smooth waves. "You know, I heard there's a family of borrowers that needs a guide to the cities." She said.

"Is that so?" Ryus replied, fairly certain he knew what she was suggesting.

"Well, I plan on being their guide, and I was wondering…" She looked at him.

"Yes?" Asked Ryus as he turned to face her.

"Would you come with me?" Ryus put his hands on Mayella's shoulders.

"Well I suppose I could stomach another adventure with you." Ryus laughed sarcastically Mayella punched his arm softly.

Ryus smiled as he looked down at Mayella, maybe he wouldn't be out of a fiancée for long…

~:~:~:~

"Why would you do this?" Arrietty asked Einar gently. The old man looked up at her with weary eyes.

"My wife and daughters… They were killed by 'beans'. My family was poisoned by bug spray." He looked away, staring into space. "I just needed to make it up to them… I needed them to forgive me, for not being able to save them."

Arrietty knelt down next to the man and wrapped her arms around the man, "I'm sure they already have." She felt Einar's body shaking with sobs. After the old man finished crying Arrietty called over to the borrowers in charge of returning him to the city.

"Take him home, he's suffered enough." The borrowers nodded and led Einar away. Arrietty stood up and was greeted by Spiller wrapping his arm around her waist. She looked up at him and smiled, allowing her body to lean into his. He grinned back at her and rested his head on hers.

Arrietty looked out over the rest of the borrowers who had already begun to file out of the house, Arrietty had told them to borrow some food for their journey so they wouldn't starve.

Soon a familiar face stood in front of Arrietty, "Hello Ryus," She said.

"Hello Arrietty," He replied. "I just wanted to tell you that our engagement is officially dissolved" He smiled.

Arrietty returned the grin, "Thank you so much Ryus!" She exclaimed as she looked up at Spiller, who looked just as, or even more enthusiastic than Arrietty did.

"Don't worry, it wasn't that difficult." He replied looking away. Arrietty followed his gaze and saw a small brunette borrower waving to him.

Arrietty smiled, "Have a safe journey."

"Same to you." He turned to Spiller and offered his hand. "You're a lucky borrower Spiller."

Spiller shook Ryus's hand and smiled "Spiller know." He replied. Ryus turned and made his way down the stairs with the other girl.

Arrietty looked up at Spiller, his shaggy black hair fell in his face as he looked at her through his hair.

He smiled at her and leaned towards her. Arrietty closed her eyes and leaned towards him as well, allowing their lips to meet.

Kissing Spiller was warm and tender. Arrietty felt him run his fingers through her hair. The two pulled away to catch their breath, but Spiller snuck a small kiss on Arrietty's nose. Arrietty giggled.

"We should probably go tell Sho we're leaving today." Spiller nodded and the two made their way to Sho's room.

~:~:~:~

It had been about an hour since Arrietty and Spiller had left. He felt a familiar ache in his heart that longed for his first friend, but he also felt overwhelming joy at the fact that he'd seen her again.

He could be content with that.

When they'd said goodbye Arrietty had returned the hairpin to him, saying it had saved her life, and she thanked him for it. She's also told him to keep it to remember her by. Sho had smiled and nodded.

Arrietty had asked him for a type of boat they could use. Sho had searched the house high and low, but he found nothing they could use. "How long will you be sailing?" He'd asked.

"By boat it's only one day's travel from here." Arrietty replied. Sho nodded and built a decent sized boat of aluminum foil.

"I'm sorry, you'll probably only be able to use the boat once" Sho said apologetically.

"Don't worry, we'll be able to use Spiller's kettle once we get home." Arrietty replied.

They sat in silence for a moment looking into each other's eyes. "Goodbye, Arrietty." He finally said.

"Goodbye, Sho." She'd replied before Spiller pushed the boat off the stream's bank, and then they slowly drifted away.

Sho slowly made his way back to the house. _I should probably get the mail… _He decided. Once Sho had reached the mailbox a girl on a bicycle stopped him.

"Hey, you're name is Sho isn't it?" She said pointing a finger at him. Her long black hair was tied in twin braids.

'Yes," Sho replied, for some reason this girl looked familiar to him.

"Oh, hi! I'm Ayumi, we'll be in the same class next year."

"Oh hello," replied Sho "It's nice to meet you" he reached out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." She replied, taking his hand.

~:~:~:~

Arrietty and Spiller had been sailing in the boat for some time now.

"How long do you think it will take us to get back home?" Arrietty asked.

Spiller thought about it then replied, "Few hours." Arrietty nodded and down into the water. She saw a flash of green.

"Oh look Spiller, a fish!" She turned to him and pointed to where she's seen the flash.

Spiller smiled at her cuteness and joined her at the side of the boat, which reflected small rays of light that danced on the water.

"Hey Spiller?" Arrietty asked.

"Hn?" he replied.

"Well, I was just wondering if this was the end of our adventure."

Spiller looked at her curiously then wove his fingers through hers.

"Hn-uh" He said while shaking his head 'no'

"Your right." Arrietty replied letting her head fall on his shoulder. "This is only the beginning.

**Well, this is where our tale ends! I'm glad I got to share this story with you wonderful readers :D I hope you loved reading this story just as muchas I loved writing it. Special thanks to all those who reviewed, I can never thank you enough. Now, time for the Last Review Responses!**

**London Bai: Thank You! ^_^ I appreciate you taking the time to review :)**

**yunadance6: I'm not sure what " – "means, but I hope it's something good ^_^' thanks for reviewing!**

**Fluffy's Lady: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad that even though you're a Sho/Arrietty fan that you still thought this chapter was cute :) thanks for the review!**

**superfan8: Thank you for the kind review :) I would also agree, Spiller is ripped :D lol thank you for reading**

**Guest: Thank you! Your review was kind! This is the end of Return to the Secret World, but I plan on writing another Spiller/Arrietty story soon :)**

**Guest: I agree! Spiller and Arrietty foreverrrrrrr! :D**

**goldacharmed: THIS is the last chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Thank you, thank you!**

**Thank you for all who've read this story and reviewed it, you've made this a great experience for me! **

**SparklingGem**


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